Chapter 3 - THE WOLVES IN THE GARDEN
Luca walked toward his private study, the anger inside him replaced by an absolute, icy focus.
When he pushed the heavy oak doors open, Marco, his consigliere, was already waiting. Pacing nervously beside him was Arthur Vance, the Moretti family’s senior attorney.
Vance looked terrified, clutching a leather briefcase to his chest.
“Boss,” Marco said, straightening his suit jacket. “I got him here as fast as I could.”
Luca didn't sit down. He walked straight to Vance.
“Arthur,” Luca said smoothly. “Tell me about the sale of the Moretti Family Residence on 4th Street.”
The attorney swallowed hard, sweat beading on his forehead. “The... the sale, sir? It was finalized three weeks ago. As per your instructions.”
“My instructions.”
“Yes, Mr. Moretti. Miss Bellini brought the paperwork to my office with your signature. She said you wanted it handled quietly to free up liquid assets for the new casino project.”
“And who was the buyer?” Luca asked, stepping closer.
Vance pulled a file from his briefcase with trembling hands. “A shell company. Apex Holdings LLC. They paid twenty percent above market value in cash. The funds are currently sitting in an escrow account, pending the demolition of the property tomorrow morning.”
“Trace the shell company,” Luca ordered Marco.
Marco immediately pulled out a tablet. His fingers flew across the screen. A few moments later, Marco looked up, his face pale.
“Boss... Apex Holdings is registered to a subsidiary in Manhattan,” Marco said quietly. “It’s owned by the Romano family.”
Luca closed his eyes for a fraction of a second.
It was true. The maid hadn't imagined the wolf tie pin. Vanessa had literally sold his mother’s legacy to his family’s oldest, bloodiest enemy.
“Arthur,” Luca said, looking at the sweating lawyer. “Can you stop the demolition tomorrow?”
“If you didn't sign the papers, it’s fraud, sir,” Vance stammered. “But proving it takes time. An injunction could take a week. If they have bulldozers rolling at six A.M., the building will be gone before a judge even opens the courthouse doors.”
Luca looked at the antique grandfather clock in the corner of the study.
It was 10:45 PM.
He had seven hours.
“Marco,” Luca said, his voice dropping an octave. “Get Daniel. Tell him to assemble twenty men. Heavily armed. We are going to 4th Street.”
“Boss, if you move on the Romanos, the Commission will demand a sit-down—”
“If the Romanos tear down my mother’s building with my people inside it, I will burn New York to the ground,” Luca snarled. “Get the men.”
Marco nodded once and sprinted out of the room.
Luca turned to the attorney. “Go to your office, Arthur. Draft the fraud injunction. Have it ready by sunrise.”
As the lawyer scurried out, Luca walked to his desk. He opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a heavy black pistol, checking the magazine before sliding it into his shoulder holster.
The engagement dinner down the hall was still entirely unaware of the storm brewing.
Luca walked out of the study and headed straight for the dining room.
He pushed the double doors open. The string quartet stopped playing. The low hum of wealthy conversation died instantly as twenty-six guests turned to look at the boss of the Chicago syndicate.
Vanessa was sitting at the head of the table, laughing at a joke her father, Don Bellini, had just told. She looked up, a bright, flawless smile on her face.
“Darling, there you are!” Vanessa beamed. “We were wondering where you went.”
Luca walked slowly to the table. He didn't look at the guests. He looked directly at Vanessa.
“We need to talk,” Luca said. “Now.”
Vanessa’s smile tightened slightly, but she kept her voice light for the audience. “Can’t it wait until dessert is finished, Luca? My father was just proposing another toast—”
“Now, Vanessa.”
The command left absolutely no room for argument.
Don Bellini, a sharp-eyed, ruthless man in his late sixties, set his champagne glass down. “Is there a problem, Luca?”
“A minor domestic issue, Don Bellini,” Luca lied smoothly. “Excuse us for a moment.”
Vanessa gracefully rose from her chair, keeping her chin high. She followed Luca out of the dining room and down the hall into the empty, dimly lit library.
The moment the heavy doors clicked shut, her sweet facade vanished.
“What is wrong with you?” Vanessa hissed, crossing her arms. “You humiliated me in front of the governor’s wife! Walking in there looking like a thug—”
“When were you going to tell me you sold my mother’s building to the Romanos?” Luca interrupted.
Vanessa froze.
The color drained from her perfectly contoured face. Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.
“Don't bother lying,” Luca said, taking a step toward her. “I have the forged eviction notices. I know the money is in escrow. The only thing I want to know is if your father orchestrated this, or if you were stupid enough to make a deal with the wolves on your own.”
Vanessa swallowed hard, backing away until she hit a bookshelf.
“You... you don't understand, Luca,” she stammered. “The property was worthless! It was bleeding money! The Romanos offered triple what it was worth. I was trying to build our war chest for the future!”
“By putting twenty-three elderly people on the street?” Luca yelled, slamming his hand against the bookshelf beside her head.
Vanessa flinched violently.
“It’s just business!” she cried defensively. “They’re pensioners, Luca! They mean nothing to the syndicate! The Romanos wanted a foothold in Chicago, and my father said giving them that block would buy us peace!”
Luca went completely still.
“Your father knew,” Luca whispered.
“Of course he knew!” Vanessa snapped, her arrogance returning slightly now that her father’s name was in the mix. “He negotiated the deal! We forged your signature because we knew you were too sentimental about that stupid building to see the financial benefit. By tomorrow morning, the building is gone, the Romanos are happy, and we are fifty million dollars richer.”
She sneered, looking at his dark, furious eyes.
“You can’t stop it, Luca. The bulldozers are already parked on the lot. The contract is signed. If you move against the Romanos now, you start a war you can’t win.”
Luca stared at the woman he was supposed to marry in three months. He saw nothing but a greedy, hollow shell.
“The wedding is off,” Luca said coldly.
Vanessa laughed. “You can’t call off the wedding. If you break the alliance with my family, my father will side with the Romanos. They’ll crush you.”
Luca didn't answer. He turned his back on her and walked toward the library doors.
“Where are you going?” Vanessa demanded, her voice rising in panic.
“I’m going to stop the bulldozers,” Luca said without looking back.
He opened the doors, revealing Daniel and two massive security guards standing in the hallway.
“Daniel,” Luca ordered. “Lock Miss Bellini in the library. Do not let her make any phone calls. And send the guests home. The engagement is over.”
“Luca!” Vanessa shrieked as Daniel stepped into the room, grabbing her arm. “You’re making a mistake! They’ll kill you!”
Luca ignored her screams, walking briskly toward the front doors where his men were waiting.
May you like
It was 11:15 PM.
The war for Chicago had just begun.
